


Play the Heart Break Soft and Slow

by sinfuldesire_archivist



Category: Kane (Band), Supernatural RPF
Genre: First Time, Fluff, Humor, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-07-02
Updated: 2008-07-02
Packaged: 2018-09-06 07:27:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8740375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sinfuldesire_archivist/pseuds/sinfuldesire_archivist
Summary: Steve's made a musical discovery that annoys Christian Kane to no end, and when Jensen turns down the opportunity to be in a music video with the little lady, who does he send in as a favor to Steve? None other than Jared Padalecki, which only serves to annoy Chris. Finally Jensen gets to meet her and hears stories about her panties in Steve's sink and then his green eyes burn with envy every time Jared looks at her with a sparkle in his eye...





	1. ONE

**Author's Note:**

> Note from the Sinful Desire archivists: this story was originally archived at [Sinful-Desire.org](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Sinful_Desire). To preserve the archive, we began importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in November 2016. We e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact us using the e-mail address on [Sinful Desire collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/sinfuldesire/profile).
> 
>  **Author's notes:** This story was written for lady_vader67 who won me at [Sweet Charity](http://www.sweet-charity.net). I would just like to say that the challenge she gave me was amazingly inspiring, although it took me a considerably long time to finish. I blame a lot of personal issues that I won't be getting into until November comes creeping up on me again. LOL.
> 
> As always this story was beta’d by my lovely sister, Lissa. So mistakes are to be blamed on her, and her ass will be made available for all of your salting and burning needs.

“Play the Heartbreak Soft and Slow”

By C.K. Blake

 

He looks up at the sign on the bar and shakes his head. A pair of deuces, the spades and hearts, and in script after is the name of the bar, _Double Deuce_. He wonders if he’s going to see Patrick Swayze kicking ass along side Sam Elliot inside, and thinks that’d be pretty damn cool. He lifts the straw cowboy hat off of his head, runs his hands through his long, wavy brown hair, and sets the hat back down, giving the brim a tug in the front to keep himself mysterious.

 

“Damn Chris, you gonna primp all day or are we gonna go in and have us a beer or two?” his friend says with a roll of his eyes as he lifts his sunglasses up onto his head.

 

“Steve, if you’re buying, I’m there. Let’s head on inside for some beer and recreation, son,” Chris replies. 

 

Steve Carlson shakes his head, and wonders how he’s managed a friendship with the worst redneck he’s ever met in his life. Once he prided himself on being a free spirit of the bohemian life style, with maybe one or two pairs of shoes to his name. Now after years of putting up with Christian Fucking Kane and his wild antics, he owns a pair of cowboy boots (courtesy of Kane), he’s picked up a bit of a twang when the occasion warrants it, and he’s bailed ol’ Chris out of a few jams and jail a couple of times. 

 

The door opens and they step inside, and Chris is assaulted with a very familiar song being sung in a deep, sultry, throaty feminine voice:

 

“Pretty girl on every corner.

Sunshine turns the sky to gold.

Warm, warm, it’s always warm here,

And I can’t take the cold…”

 

By the time the tall, pretty blonde is done with the song, Chris is seething, and Steve is ignoring his beer and thinking he’s made the discovery of a lifetime, because the girl’s got a voice that has managed to completely blow him away. 

 

“I can’t believe the nerve of that damn bitch! Up there singing my God damned song!” Chris growls.

 

Steve snickers and then looks up from the second sip of his beer and says, “What, man? Are you pissed that it’s your song, or that she sounded better than you singing it?”

 

Before Chris can come up with a reply the woman is on the mic, a deep, Texas twang falling from her full lips. “Now that I got my LA dreams outta my system, along with my thing for a certain show, I’ll let ya’ll hear some real damn music! Give me a big damn Texas cheer and I’ll give ya some giddy up!”

 

The crowd goes wild, and Steve has to admit that he’s impressed with the way the woman works the crowd, and she’s not bad on the eyes either.

 

“That’s how I like my Texas boys, loud and willing, now haul your asses back down in them chairs, get another round o’ beer and we’ll get down to raisin’ some hell!” she snarls into the mic, and her band kicks up with something playful, loud, and rooted in country.

 

“The home fire’s burnin’ hotter n’ Hell tonight,

Just the way I like it, now ain’t I a sight?

Got some Uncle Jack I’m shootin’ down,

Hafta keep my head on light.

 

Partyin’ hard, and Partyin’ loud,

Gotta get seen in this crowd,

Gonna keep it up all night!

Maybe catch my breath

With the early morning light!”

 

Her fingers dance across the strings of her guitar, and she gives a kick before she’s back at the mic again.

 

“Kickin’ back shots to make the bad all right,

Raisin’ some hell, and itchin’ for a fight.

Uncle Jack’s got me losin’ my mind,

And I ain’t out here to unwind!

Done with playin’ it nice,

Cause I been dragged down more than twice.

 

Got the whiskey drowning out

All those damn good intentions,

And the good ol’ Lord,

Well there’s Sunday to mention Him. 

 

Kickin’ back shots to make the bad all right,

Raisin’ some hell, itchin’ for a fight,

Keep me out all night,

Cause damn, bein’ bad sure feels right!”

 

She ends it with a sweet Southern howl into the mic, and an impressive flourish on her guitar that has Steve wondering where she found a song like that, and made it her own. 

 

She pulls back to say something to her drummer, then she’s back at the mic and says, “So fellas, I know you want more, but I need a drink and a smoke first, so back in ten!”

 

She runs down from the stage, makes a straight beeline for the bar, and knocks down on the counter. “Hey Matt, baby, set me up with a shot of somethin’ hot that’ll keep me horny all night long!”

 

The bartender rolls his eyes, but sets down a shot glass and fills it with whiskey. She gives him a wink before knocking it back and raising a brow in challenge. “That all ya packing you stingy sonofabitch, cause you ain’t payin’ near what I’m worth.”

 

Steve slips up behind her, his eyes wide at the words coming from such a pretty woman, and he’s strongly reminded of Jensen as he looks at the girl’s mouth. He steps up next to her and says, “Hey, whatever she’s having, I’ll pay for it, and get me a beer, none of that light shit off the tap, I want a bottle of Miller.”

 

The girl turns to look at him, the look on her face saying she’s about to tell him off, until her blue eyes widen in surprise and she says, “Damn, fuck me sideways long and hard! You’re Steve Carlson! Son of a bitch!”

 

“Wow, you’ve heard of me,” Steve says with a chuckle and then he lifts a brow and continues, “But I don’t have a name for you.”

 

“Mel Halbrook. Actually it’s Melanie, but nobody in their right mind calls me that cept my Daddy, so you stick to Mel or it’s my foot and your ass down in the school yard,” she says with a grin, and Steve likes her, it’s kind of hard not to.

 

“And that last song, where’d that come from?” he asks.

 

She downs the shot the bartender finally puts before her and then replies, “Hell, I wrote it. Why?”

 

Steve’s eyes bug out in surprise. “You wrote it? Got anything else?”

 

“Hell yeah, got plenty. Why? You interested?” she asks.

 

“Sure. My friend and I are staying at the motel down the road, doin’ a little road trippin’ and barhopping before our next tour, and if you want you can join us after your set,” he says.

 

“You ain’t into some kind of freaky sex shit and trying to get into my pants are ya? This is Texas, I got a gun out in my car,” she says with a smirk, and Steve chokes a little on his beer.

 

She claps him on the back and a sharp laugh escapes her. “S’all right. Just kiddin’ ya, well no. I do have that gun, but that’s beside the point. Now where’s your friend?”

 

Steve gives a nod toward the table where Chris is glaring daggers at him, and then Chris shifts, pulls his hat down further over his face and tips his beer to his mouth. Steve spares Mel a glance and notices how she’s looking at Chris like she’s seen him before but can’t quite place him. They finally reach the table and Chris tips his hat back and says, “You always play my songs and then insult me like that? Takes real balls to do a man’s songs that way, and balls don’t come with a set of tits that nice.”

 

Steve’s hand actually collides with his face, because yeah, it’s Christian Kane, but Christ! He’s never known Chris to be _this_ bad.

 

Before Steve gets a chance to apologize for the asshole, Chris is flat on his back on the floor, chair and all, and Mel’s straddling him, one hand curled in a fist that’s pulled back and ready to go and the other clutching at Chris’ t-shirt. She lets the fist fly, and then she gets to her feet, yanks him to his feet, and snaps, “Christian fucking Kane, as big an ass hole as I originally took you for on that damn show. You talk about my tits again and you’ll be picking your balls up at the bar and carryin’ ‘em home in a jar.”

 

Chris carefully shifts his jaw around with a wince, his blue eyes sparking with his anger, then he straightens his shirt and bends down to retrieve his hat. When he straightens up he realizes he has to tilt his head back to look at her. Cause she’s taller than him and really, that kind of shit just ain’t fair.

 

“Damn,” Steve says, as he drops a hand on Chris’ shoulder and says, “Chris, this is Mel Halbrook, and that last song she played, she wrote it.”

 

“Ain’t no God damn way this fucking cunt wrote a song like that,” Chris snaps.

 

Mel’s eyes darken and she straightens up, looks even taller, and more menacing, and Chris reaches for his jaw and then says, “I ain’t apologizing to any crazy bitch that can throw a punch like that, so fuck you.”

 

Even though he wouldn’t mind seeing Chris get knocked on his ass again by the pretty girl, he can’t afford to have Chris missing teeth and with a swollen jaw on stage so he steps in between them. Which is a good thing considering how Mel’s flexing her fists, and Chris looks ready to lunge.

 

Of course by then the break is over, and Mel shakes her head and says, “Damn, wasted my smoke break on Shorty Fucking Kane. You owe me a smoke after my set, Carlson, hang around and I’ll follow you home later boys, but Shorty’s hands get within grabbin’ distance of me, you might have to find a new guitar player for your band.”

 

She runs back up to the stage, picks up her guitar and starts in on another song. Chris narrows his eyes on Steve and snarls, “That bitch called me fucking Shorty! You are not thinking about gettin' her a deal, cause she ain’t that good! A dime a fuckin’ dozen!”

 

“You’re just pissed she’s hot, taller than you, and can kick your sorry ass,” Steve replies with a grin, and then says, “I’d be crazy not to try and get her signed. She’s damn good, and not even you can deny that.”

 

Chris grudgingly takes another long pull from his beer, and Steve smiles smugly as he watches Mel Halbrook start in on “Texas Flood” by Stevie Ray Vaughan, and damn if her guitar picking ain’t as good as her voice.

 

\----------

 

“Come Around More Alabama” is going off in his pocket, and he knows its Steve as soon as he flips open his phone and says, “Yeah?”

 

“Damn Jen, were ya sleepin?”

 

Jensen snorts. “You been around Chris way too long when _you_ start soundin’ country, Steve. And naw, was about to get in a few winks, but I got time for a word or two, what’s up?”

 

“Did you get that song I sent you?” Steve asks.

 

Jensen smiles. “Yeah, ‘Being Bad Feels Right’. Not bad, but why you got a girl singing it?”

 

“Cause that girl wrote it! Found her in a bar a few weeks ago and I got her to agree to come on the road with us, and she’s amazing. I mean the things she’s written. I’ve got her coming up with an album list, and we’ll be recording as soon as we get back to LA, but until then I’ve got her opening for us, since our last opening act got pissed with Chris.”

 

“Wow, and she’s willing to stick around on the road with you two assholes?” Jen asks.

 

Steve chuckles. “Believe me, she can hold her own. The first night we saw her in the Double Deuce back in San Antonio she kicked Chris’ ass and he’s been bitchin’ about it ever since.”

 

“Now that I’d have liked to seen. Chris gettin' his ass handed to him by some tiny, prim little girl.”

 

“Tiny? Oh no, Mel’s anything but tiny. She’s got nice curves, but I’m tellin’ you she’s about six feet tall, got a good two inches on Chris at least, and the mouth on her! She makes Chris sound housebroken!”

 

“You’re shittin’ me,” Jen says in disbelief.

 

“I can’t make this shit up, and her and Chris can’t stand each other, which brings me to the favor I’m gonna ask you.”

 

“I fucking knew it, Carlson.”

 

“Hey, when we get her album going she’ll have to make a video. We’re working on picking out the song for her first single. I was going to try and get Chris to be in the video with her, get a name in the video with her and it might help it to sell, but they can barely share a stage without trying to kill each other. So I was thinking, with your big hiatus being right around the time we’ll probably finish work on her album, think you could spare three days for a video?”

 

“Depends on a script I’m looking at, but if I can’t do it, I’ll find you someone who can,” Jensen replies.

 

Steve grins and says, “Thanks man, and get some damn sleep already.”

 

Jensen laughs and then flips the phone shut, sets it down on his bedside table and rolls over onto his stomach to do just that.

 

\----------

 

He sighs and wonders why he actually let Jensen talk him into this. A week in Los Angeles before he heads on to San Antonio to visit his family. It’s his hiatus, and he gets to spend the first week of it with Steve Carlson, Christian Fucking Kane, and some up and coming singer chick.

 

Steve he doesn’t really mind, the guy’s pretty cool and even keel, and he doesn’t really know the singer Melanie or whatever her name is. Chris, however, he does know. Chris has come up to Vancouver a few times to visit and hang with Jensen, and Jared can’t stand him. There aren’t too many people that Jared can’t stand. He can put up with Michael Rosenbaum’s crap, and if you can do that you can handle anyone, except Christian Kane, apparently. 

 

In his humble opinion, Jensen is going for sainthood in just associating with Chris, let alone calling the asshole a friend. 

 

He’s also come to the conclusion that his puppy dog eyes have failed him, and Jensen’s pouty lip is a damn evil thing. 

 

It is because of that damn pouty lip that Jared finds himself at the airport looking for his ride to Steve’s place. He sees a handwritten sign being held up by an unusually tall blonde woman, and the sign says, “Padawan Paddywhack.” He knows without a doubt whose idea that had been. Damn that asshole, Kane. Still, Jensen had sworn that he’d mostly be working with that singer and Steve.

 

He rolls his eyes and groans as he heads toward the sign with his bag slung over his shoulder. A smile slips across his face, because his momma always instilled in him, POLITE, always POLITE.

 

“Kane come up with the sign?” he asks with a wry grin as he approaches the girl. 

 

She raises a brow at him and snorts. “How’d ya guess?”

 

He eyes widen at her deep Texas drawl, and any tension he might have felt before drains away, and he grins at her, “So, guess you’re not a fan of the jerk?”

 

Her blue eyes sparkle as she snorts. “If you ask me he’s over compensating for something. My guess is a little dick, which is why he makes himself out to be such a big dick, and the fucker actually calls me a cunt any chance he gets. As long as he ain’t entertaining the idea of him gettin' laid I could give a shit less.”

 

“Wow,” Jared says, struggling to keep his mouth from falling open in shock, because he’s never actually heard a girl talk like this before. She snatches his bag from him and leads the way out the door and to an old, red Ford pick-up. She gives a wink to the guy shaking his head and directing traffic around the truck, then she tosses Jared’s bag in the cab, rounds the front, gets behind the wheel and gives him a look. 

 

He shrugs, gives a nod to the frustrated man in the security uniform at the door, and gets into the truck. A few minutes later his hand is gripping the dash, and his teeth are clenched as she slips in and out of tight spots in traffic that should result in some kind of collision. Jared doesn’t think he’ll ever complain about Michael Rosenbaum behind the wheel of a car ever again, and that bastard is from New York. 

 

“So I’m guessin’ Jensen took the acting gig, and you’re here in his place?” she says.

 

Jared nods and looks at her, “Yeah, and sorry, I didn’t exactly catch your name.”

 

“That’s cause I don’t go givin’ it out to just anybody,” she replies back curtly and takes a turn that has Jared’s head acquainting itself rather unpleasantly with the window. 

 

“So how do you know Steve and the asshole exactly?” Jared asks.

 

She snorts. “You ain’t got a clue, you know that? Actually Steve was supposed to come get ya, but Chris got hammered at a gig last night, and literally got woke up in the gutter by a cop, and luckily for Shorty, Steve knows the cop. Anyway, Steve’s trying to sober Shorty up, so I got the pleasure of pickin’ you up. I was actually hopin’ for Jen. My grandma was a fan of _Days_ and I’d have loved to have gotten an autograph for her. She’s always on about wanting to pinch that boy’s cheeks.”

 

Jared actually blushes at that and she laughs at him. “Fine, I’ll take pity on ya. I’m Mel Halbrook, and I was told you’re a chatty asshole, so why you so quiet over there?”

 

“Like I can get a word in edgewise, and Jesus, how you talk,” he says, and then shakes his head and amends with, “So where in Texas you from?”

 

“Galveston, and as for how I talk, my Daddy raised me around mechanics, roughnecks, and bartenders. I know my way round some of the best dives in Texas, and hell, I can do an oil change on this baby and keep her going for the long haul, Lord knows I’ve kept this ol’ truck going for the last five years after buildin’ her back up from scrap. So don’t tell me how to talk, I talk the way I was raised, ‘cept in front of my grandma cause she tans my hide and goes for a bar a soap quicker ‘n you can blink. Now how ‘bout you, Tall T?”

 

“San Antonio,” Jared replies.

 

“Really? That’s where I met up with Steve and Shorty. I was doing a couple of gigs a night at the _Double Deuce_. Ever been there?”

 

“Naw, but I heard of it,” Jared answers with a shrug.

 

“Guess it’s good enough you’ve at least heard of it, and we’re here,” she says, pulling up in front of an old brick building, where Steve and Chris are roomies. 

 

Jared thinks maybe Steve is like Jen, and going for sainthood too, then again, he lives with the asshole. Steve’s probably crazy as well as the whole sainthood thing.

 

She parks the truck in front of the building, heads up the walk to the door, gives Jared a sidelong look with a wicked grin before she slips the key into the door, throws it open and says, “That bastard’s pants best be on, cause we got comp’ny!”

 

“Stop all that damn hollerin’! My damn head’s got enough pounding goin’ on without addin’ your bitchin’ to the mix!” comes a roar from inside and Jared struggles to bite back his laugh as Mel looks at him with a smile and wink. 

 

“Guess we better go inside then, aye Tall T?” she says. 

 

\----------

 

“I can’t believe you sent the fucking Sasquatch to do a damn favor that YOU owed Steve! You Goddamned asshole! Like it ain’t bad enough puttin’ up with that bitch, but add Jolly Green and I’m in fuckin’ HELL!” Chris growls into the phone as soon as Jensen picks up.

 

“Well, hello to you too. Christ, what the hell?” Jensen replies as he massages the bridge of his nose. 

 

“Jared is doing the damn video in your place! Man! I thought you had my back, you know I don’t get along with your new BFF!” Chris snarls, and Jensen can imagine him spitting, he sounds so pissed. 

 

“Will you calm the hell down?”

 

“Calm the hell down? Do you KNOW the shit I put up with from those two? And I swear they are attached at the freakin’ hip! Wouldn’t surprise me one damn bit if they were fucking and she ended up knocked up with his giant ass baby, and fuck that kid would be tall, considering they are both fucking skyscrapers!”

 

“What?!” Jensen breaks in hoarsely, and the hitch in his voice catches Chris by surprise.

 

“Shit, Jenny. Tell me it ain’t so,” Chris says, and Jensen can practically hear the wheels turning in the bastard’s head. “I’ll be damned, got a thing for Jay?”

 

“He’s my friend. Call me concerned. I mean, what if she’s just into him because he’s kind of famous, and he can be so damn vulnerable. Boy thinks everybody has some good in ‘em.”

 

“Aww, you got a crush on the Sasquatch, that would kinda be cute if it weren’t so damn fucked up,” Chris croons, and Jensen is relieved when there’s a beep on his other line and he hangs up on Chris to answer it.

 

His relief is short-lived, however.

 

“Oh my God! Jen! I wish you were here, man! I can’t wait for you to meet her! She’s just amazing, and dude! She kicks Kane’s ass on a daily basis! I swear she’s like my hero or somethin’!” Jared says, his drawl more pronounced.

 

Jensen takes in a breath, tries to find his peaceful center before he opens his mouth, and then the calm washes over him. “Jay, man, how are things? And what the hell you done to Chris? Asshole’s done called me bitching.”

 

Jared snickers, and Jensen squeezes his eyes shut. “What did you do?”

 

“It was Mel’s idea, but I was the one that did it. Ain’t my fault the jerk sleeps like the dead,” Jared says, and now he’s all out laughing and Jensen can’t help smiling.

 

“Well, you gonna tell me?”

 

“It’s no big deal. Mel and I were playing around. She talked me into trying on some eyeliner, and then she wondered what Chris would look like with the Cleopatra look, only we didn’t use eyeliner on him… We used a Sharpie. It’ll come off in like a week,” Jared says, his tone a little sheepish at the end, and Jensen busts out laughing, he really can’t help himself, but there’s still that tinge of jealousy over how Jared talks about this new girl.

 

\---------

 

There’s a pen on her ear, a yellow legal pad by her side and her guitar in her lap. Her blonde hair is pulled back in a messy ponytail, and she’s tapping out a small rhythm on the guitar with her thumb. She nibbles on her bottom lip, and then snatches the pen from her ear. She crosses something out, and then scribbles something down. 

 

She pulls back and smiles, then nods. She drops the pen on the pad, lifts her guitar and begins to play, something with a medium pace, something meant to tell a story.

 

He’s still thrown when she opens her mouth and the words come tumbling out in husky, smoke filled promises.

 

“Been running all my life,

Can’t remember half a what’s behind me,

Don’t know where I’m headed,

Just left my life and years behind,

Partied, drank, lied, forgot about livin’.

 

Think you can catch up,

Keep up with someone like me?

Run with the storm

And maybe you can be the calm,

Save me from what I’m runnin’ from.

 

Left on a dirt road, kickin’ up dust,

Momma standin’ on the front porch,

Crying out my name,

Knowin’ she’d never see her baby again.

 

Years and miles go by,

Nothin’s changed and storm’s a’ comin’.

 

Think you can catch up,

Keep up with someone like me?

Run with the storm,

And maybe you can be the calm

Save me from what I’m runnin’ from.

 

It’s rumblin’, coming for me,

The lightenin’ crashin’ closer,

The air burning with my fears,

Hell bent on escape all these years,

Now I’ve found the eye of the storm.

 

Think you can catch up,

Keep up with someone like me?

Run with the storm

And maybe you can be the calm,

Save me from what I’m runnin’ from.

 

Maybe you can be the calm,

Save me from what I’m runnin’ from.”

 

She startles at the sound of the clapping and looks up, her eyes widening as she looks at him and lets out a huff of breath.

 

“Dammit, Jay, you can’t just go sneakin’ up on somebody like that! You could damn well give a girl a heart attack!” Mel growls.

 

Jared grins at her. “Wow. I thought the song for the video you did was pretty awesome, but that’s just good ol’ Texas storytellin’ right there. Where’d you come up with that?”

 

She shrugs. “Some of it’s truth, some of it ain’t, but it’s all part of me. If I knew where it come from it probably wouldn’t come to me no more. So I ain’t gonna go questionin’ it. That’s like lookin’ a gift horse in the mouth.”

 

“You make a good point,” Jared says, and scratches his head as color creeps up along his face, and while Mel’s only known him for a couple of weeks, she’s never really known him to blush.

 

“What’s got your drawers in a twist?” she asks him point blank.

 

He shakes his head, and looks away.

 

“Aw, now come on. You ain’t gettin' away that easy. Who is she, and it better not be me. I like ya Jay, but it’s more in that really hot brother I wouldn’t mind watching someone make out with, but never touch kinda way.”

 

Jared scrunches his face up and shudders at that and she grins at him. “Okay, and maybe that’s why it’s a good thing I’m an only child, now out with it or I’ll be forced to go looking for Shorty to go over that song with cause Steve’s still out in the studio working on the last of the mixin’ for my album.”

 

“So your album is almost finished? When’s it comin’ out?” Jared says, a last ditch effort to change the subject.

 

“In a couple of months, and Tall T, that ain’t gonna work with me, so who is she?” she asks again, suspicion peppering her voice.

 

Jared shrugs and sighs. “It’s not like they feel the same way, so it’s nothin’.”

 

“Let me rephrase then,” she replies, and then with a grin, looks him dead in the eye and says, “Who the hell is he, and please tell me it ain’t Shorty, cause I know you got better taste ‘n than.”

 

“Kane? Oh God no!” Jared says with a horrified shudder, and then she tilts her head and looks at him, her eyes widening, and then she nods.

 

“So it’s Jenny, ain’t it?”

 

“Don’t ever let him catch you callin’ him that,” Jared says, and then realizes that he didn’t deny that it’s Jensen.

 

\----------

 

As he steps out of the terminal he lets out a sigh. He’s finished work on a movie he’s proud of, he’s been out to see his family, and now he’s in L.A. While it’s not exactly a safe haven, and it’ll never really feel like home the way Texas does, it’s somewhere he can pretend in peace. 

 

He hears someone call his name, and he looks up to see Jared, a big smile on his face, waving his right arm, and as he approaches his friend he notices the blonde on Jared’s left arm. She’s a tall, pretty woman, wholesome looking with her blonde hair fanning around her face and a tan straw cowboy hat on her head, shadowing over her eyes, but her grin is about as big as Jared’s, and Jensen is struck with how good they look together. Jared hasn’t looked so well suited for a person since him and Sandy decided to stop kidding each other and just be friends. 

 

He takes in a breath. He’s an actor for Christ sakes, he can deal with this, and he is happy to see his best friend at least. He approaches them with a smile firmly in place. Jared pulls away from the woman and wraps both arms around Jensen, and Jensen closes his eyes and enjoys the moment, then Jared’s pulling back and making introductions.

 

“Jensen, this is Mel, and she’s amazing, and Mel, this jerk’s Jensen. He’s still not as bad as Kane though.”

 

The woman rolls her eyes. “Ain’t no one bad as Kane, cept maybe that dick, Chad Michael Murray. I swear you’re outta your damn mind calling that dip shit a friend.”

 

Just like that, Jensen hates that he can’t hate her. Hating her would probably make this easier.

 

“So how about we grab us a bite to eat and then we’ll meet up with Steve and Chris at the Whiskey, since their gig’s tonight. How damn cool is that? Playing at the _Whiskey_. I swear, one day I’m gonna play there myself.”

 

“You’ve been in L.A. for how long and still haven’t played the _Whiskey_?” Jensen asks.

 

Mel blushes. “Well, the night I was supposed to play I kinda got into a fight with the bartender cause he grabbed my ass and they canceled my gig, and I ain’t been booked there since.”

 

Jared snickers at that and Jensen shifts his gaze to Jared. “Wait, you were there?”

 

“Yeah, it was like two weeks ago, man. And if I remember correctly, the bartender grabbed her ass and asked her for a threesome with her tall boyfriend, and she cracked a bottle over his head.”

 

“Her boyfriend?” Jensen asks, and he feels his heart jump to his throat as Jared blushes.

 

“That’s why I knocked him over the head! Insulting Jay like that. Jay can do much better ‘n me,” Mel broke in with an elbow to Jensen’s side and a wink.

 

“Hey, we’ll have to stop by my place on the way, I gotta hit the shower,” Jay says. 

 

“Can it wait till after we eat, cause I’m damn near starved, and you’re worse about showerin’ than a damn woman, and all that lotion and moisturizer you’re always usin’,” Mel replies with a roll of her eyes.

 

“Well, I was thinking you could change too,” Jared offers.

 

“Wait, I thought you were staying with Steve,” Jensen cuts in, looking at Mel, as they head out to the parking garage to Jared’s pick-up with extended cab. 

 

Mel rolls her eyes and Jared picks up where she doesn’t. “Steve kicked her out. Apparently he couldn’t take her panties in his kitchen sink and Chris bein’ up at the ass crack of dawn bitchin’ about Mel banging pots and pans around and damn near catchin’ the kitchen on fire. I offered her the spare room at my place.”

 

“So you’re living together?” Jensen says, and he really can’t believe he just said that, because, jealous much?

 

“Yeah, and he’s more a girl than I am, not that it takes much to be more girl than me, but damn! And Steve only found my panties in the sink that one time and it was all your fault!” she snaps sulkily as she gives Jared a sharp look, and Jensen swallows thickly because he really doesn’t want to hear HOW her panties ended up in Steve’s kitchen sink.


	2. ONE

They’re at it again, he’s driving and Jared is in the front seat, turned to face the backseat and Mel’s leaning forward, and they are whispering, and it’s working fiercely on his nerves, because him and Jay used to be like that, and they are keeping him out of the loop. Usually when Jay keeps him out of the loop on something it’s because there is a joke that he’s going to find himself at the butt end of. 

 

Jared pulls back with a gut-busting laugh and Jensen’s had enough. He really can’t take much more of this, especially when he can’t hate the person responsible because she’s just so damn cool. 

 

“What the hell is so funny?” he finally snaps.

 

Jared pulls back with a look like Jensen’s just kicked one of his dogs, and Mel snickers and then shakes her head. “Damn boy, you musta hung around Chris too much in the good ol’ days. Keep that up and I just might have to jerk that hair outta your ass.”

 

Jensen rolls his eyes as Jared snickers and he parks down the block from the Whiskey. 

 

Of course with the sparkling beginning of the night, Jensen should have expected the morning after, or at least the tabloids and the almost-hangover that follow. 

 

The ringing, he soon discovers, is not in his head, but coming from the bedside table. He lifts himself up with a groan and reaches for his cell phone. As soon as he looks at the LCD display he wants to throw the thing against the wall, but instead he flips the phone open and grunts.

 

“Your sorry ass better be gettin' outta that damn bed, son, cause we got all kinds of shit to deal with! You know that bullshit that got us all kicked outta Steve’s show last night? Yeah?! Well it’s all over the front fucking page of damn near every fucking tabloid in the newsstands and gas stations! Got Jared dragging Mel kicking and screaming and fightin’ outta the bar, and then there’s a shot of them practically in each other’s damn laps in that damn truck of his while you sped off. Fuck! How could you stand it?! I mean, bad enough they were practically attached at the crotch in the bar, but then her startin’ another damn bar fight and now there’s fucking weddin’ bells and a shotgun ceremony in the making as everyone’s speculatin’ over the Bitch and Jolly Green!”

 

“Slow the fuck down and quit fucking yellin’! Damn! Man it’s bad enough I feel like shit and my jaw hurts from the punch I took. Christ, my face!”

 

“Jesus! Your face’ll be all right in a few days, shit! You gotta see some of the shit these dicks wrote about last night! Damn son! You nearly ran some asshole over?”

 

“He tried to shove a camera through the fucking window, wasn’t like I was TRYING to run the prick over,” Jensen growls as he looks around for something to wear. 

 

He bends down and picks up his jeans from the night before, takes in a whiff and wrinkles his nose. Those definitely will not do. Unlike Chris, he actually knows about a thing called hygiene, thank you very much. 

 

With a roll of his eyes he decides to finally put an end to Chris’ tirade and snaps, “Look man, I’ll be at Steve’s in an hour. I need to catch a shower and coffee. God do I need coffee, and then you can bitch and moan to your heart’s content.”

 

“Fine, but when you get here, we gotta talk, cause I know you man, and this shit ain’t sittin’ right with you. I know how bad you got it for Jolly Green and his magic bean sprout or what the hell ever, so I got your back if you wanna bust up him and Mel. You know me, Jenny, I always got your back.”

 

“Don’t call me Jenny, asshole, and I’m on my way,” Jensen manages before he flips the phone shut and goes in search of clean clothes, his shaving kit, and a shower.

 

Of course Chris’ offer lingers in his thoughts. Would busting up Mel and Jay be enough? He hates that he’s thinking this, because Mel is pretty damn awesome, and it’s so damn obvious how much her and Jay just click. Hell, she even mentioned something about writing a song for Jared. Still, she mostly sings country, so maybe when all is said and done he can eventually smile at her, Jay’s arm across her shoulder and say, “Play the heart break soft and slow. That’s how you get through things like this.”

 

\----------

 

Steve knows it’s bad as he steps into his kitchen and sees Jensen and Chris huddled over the counter and speaking softly. He also knows that it’s got something to do with Mel and Jared and it will end badly. 

 

He clears his throat to get their attention and at least Jensen has enough presence of mind to look up and have a somewhat guilty expression on his face. The same cannot be said for Chris, but Steve finds that miracles are a rare thing, and Chris has too much of the devil in him for a miracle to knock him on his sorry ass anyway.

 

“So who’s gonna tell me what the hell is going on? Because with you two, I just know something’s up. Can’t you just leave well enough alone?” Steve says with a sigh as he runs a hand through his long, dirty blonde hair.

 

“Ain’t nothin’ to tell, Steve, just go on ‘bout your business, me and Jenny just catchin’ up on ol’ times. Ain’t that right, son?” Chris replies as he shoots Jensen a warning glance. 

 

Jensen takes in a breath, his eyes flutter shut for a moment and all he can see is Jared with Mel, and that smile that was once just for him. It’s that damn smile, and those dimples of Jared’s that are the damning factor when it comes to Jensen.

 

“Yeah, Steve. Just catchin’ up. That and your boy here is trying to get me to do some back up on his new album comin’ up since I did so much back up on yours,” Jensen adds, and hopes that his reassuring smile is convincing, especially considering he’s an actor. 

 

Steve rolls his eyes and shakes his head. “You’re both out of your minds if you think I’m buying that load of shit! But seein’ as how there’s no gettin' through to the pair of you idiots, I guess I’ll just let it ride out. But when this shit blows up in your faces, don’t you dare look to me to help clean it up. This is all you. And Jen, to be honest, I figured you had better sense than to let Chris talk you into something!”

 

“Hey!” Chris snaps in his own defense, and Jensen almost agrees with Steve, but then his mind summons up an image of Jared’s slanted eyes and crooked smile.

 

“I’m a big boy, Steve,” Jensen says.

 

Steve snorts. “Yeah, and Mel is a big girl, so when you two fuck up, I’m just gonna sit back and watch her and maybe even Jay kick both your asses.”

 

“Hey, she got lucky that one time,” Chris bites out.

 

Steve raises a brow. “Just the one time, eh?”

 

Jensen fixes Chris with a questioning look, but Chris ignores it and takes up his now lukewarm cup of coffee, with barely a grunt for an answer.

 

\----------

 

The phone is loud, obnoxious, and intrusive. Mel wants the phone to die. So do Jared’s dogs, too apparently, if their barking is anything to go by. She growls as she reaches out for the phone, and wonders absently why Jared can’t answer the damn thing since it’s his house and his damn phone.

 

She lets out a huff as she growls, “Hello?”

 

“Mel, good you’re awake,” says a familiar voice.

 

“That is just a damn matter of opinion, Steve. Who’s dead, cause if I’m up this damn early and ain’t gettin' no damn studio time, someone ought to be dead, or I can arrange it.”

 

“Still as pleasant as ever in the mornings, and here I just thought Chris kept you in a perpetually bad mood.”

 

“He’s a part of it, but that ain’t the cause of this mornin’. From the taste in my mouth, I think somethin’ might of died in it, and there’s this ringin’ in my head that ain’t the phone considerin’ how I’m talkin’ to you. My knuckles are achin’ and my right eye’s throbbin’ somethin’ awful. So I think I got a right to wanna sleep in.”

 

“Last night’s not what I want to talk to you about. Look, I’m headed out to the studio if you want to get in a little jam, but I think there’s something you need to know, okay?”

 

Mel groans. “Fine, what is it?”

 

“Something’s up with Jen and Chris. I walked into the kitchen earlier before I left and Jen was there and they were plottin’ over coffee, and I think it’s got something to do with you and Jay. Now I know you’re not with Jay. And you know you’re not with Jay, but Chris and Jensen… Well, Chris is an idiot, and Jensen’s got his head so far up his ass when it comes to Jay that he just doesn’t see it. So I think they might try to get one over on you and Jay. I’m just lettin’ you know before this shit gets out of hand, so you can be on your guard. I don’t like seein’ people get hurt, but if you’re gonna end up kicking Chris’ ass again, I wanna be front and center, cause I know he’ll deserve it.”

 

“Consider it done, but let me work this out. I don’t want Jay frettin’ over Jenny doin’ somethin’ stupid. So don’t go spillin’ the beans to him, kay?”

 

“Yeah, and I’ll see you in what? Half an hour?” 

 

“I think I can swing that. Well, maybe an hour, I need a shower for I go out lookin’ all half cocked.”

 

She smiles as Steve chuckles before the line goes dead, and then she hangs up the phone, sits up, shakes her head, her hair flying around her face as she looks around Jared’s guestroom that’s become her own. She gathers up some clothes, and heads toward the bathroom, the dogs at her heels, whining and begging for attention and she gives them a couple of pats before closing the bathroom door behind her. Maybe the hot spray will help clear her mind enough to figure something out as far as Jensen’s jealousy and Jared’s crush on the man.

 

\----------

 

It’s been two weeks and the paparazzi buzz has died down for the most part, and Jensen has used his influence and managed to help Mel book a show at the Whiskey. Thank God the owner is a fan of Days. Everything is planned out, well, as planned out as it can be. Mel is already out at the Whiskey doing a sound check and getting ready for her big debut. Steve’s going to do a song with her, and at some point her and Chris will be singing. Hopefully her introduction won’t be too insulting.

 

Now there’s just the thing of Jensen getting ready, showering, worrying over what to wear, and picking up Jay, because they’re going to the show together. There’s also the matter of drinks. Jay is a big boy, homegrown in Texas, and it will take a lot to knock that Texan on his ass. Jensen knows from experience. He’s already decided on a game plan. Shots of whiskey with beer chasers. Tequila with more beer chasers, and vodka with even more beer chasers. 

 

Jensen strips and then steps into the hot, steamy spray of the shower. The water, blunt needles pounding into the tense muscles of his back, and bringing some relief to the stress and tension that’s been building over the last couple of weeks. Maybe if he’s lucky the stress will be gone within the next three weeks before they have to return to Canada to begin work on the new season. That’s if Jared is speaking to him by then. 

 

He rinses off, turns off the water, shakes his head, grabs a towel and ties it around his narrow waist. He runs his hand along his jaw, but decides he can work the stubble for tonight. He lifts a brow at his reflection as he reaches for his mouthwash. He gargles, spits, brushes his teeth, gargles and spits again. He smiles at his reflection, splashes on some cologne, and then his smile falters.

 

Is he really going to go through with this? Is he that far gone? Even with the possibility of Jay hating him, can he do this? The sad truth of the matter is yes. Yes he can, because if he can’t have Jay, then why should she? Even if he can’t hate her, he still doesn’t see how she can deserve someone like Jared.

 

He takes in a breath as he heads back to his bedroom. He sees the blues jeans and black shirt laid out on the bed, but that looks too thought out. He sighs as he pulls out a pair of boxers from his dresser and heads back to the closet. He finds a nice, old comfortable pair of Wrangler jeans, rips in the knees, and faded just right. He grins as he slips into them, and then he pulls on a white t-shirt, and a white button down shirt with pink pinstripe piping. He remembers wearing the shirt to some event with Jay a year or so back, and while it doesn’t make a difference to him about the color, Jared seems to have a fondness for pink.

 

Once he’s dressed he slips into a pair of tan work boots. He ties them on tight, grabs his watch from his dresser, winces at the time, then grabs up his keys and heads out to pick up Jay.

 

\----------

 

He is pacing in his room, running his hand through his hair. He’s dressed, and he looks as good as can be expected. He has no idea why he’s so nervous. It’s just him and Jen and that asshole Chris going out to the Whiskey for Mel’s show. No big deal. Oh, but it is a big deal, because with the way Jen asked him to come with him… It felt like being asked on a date, hence Jared’s current state of nerves. He thinks he may start ripping his hair out. 

 

He spares the clock another glance. Five minutes and Jensen’s due to arrive any time to pick him up. 

 

He damn near jumps clean out of his skin at the sound of his ring tone and his ass vibrating. He snatches the phone out of his back pocket, doesn’t even bother with checking to see who’s calling, just flips it open and squeaks out a “hello?”

 

“Jay? Damn boy, glad I caught you,” came Mel’s familiar and almost comforting voice.

 

“Yeah, I’m waitin’ on Jen to pick me up and then I’ll be seein’ you in a little while. What’s so important it can’t wait?”

 

“Jen, that’s what,” she snaps, and Jared feels a shiver spike up his spine, and his stomach bottoms out. 

 

“What do you mean?” he asks nervously.

 

She sighs. “I got a heads up from Steve, and I know your boy got me the gig, so I’m thinkin’ it’s goin’ down tonight. Watch yourself, Jay. Jen and Shorty are up to somethin’ and it’s got to do with us. I’m just lettin’ you know cause I know I’ll probably kick Kane’s ass for this, but I don’t want you gettin' hurt since I know how you feel about ol’ Jenny.”

 

“You think he knows?” Jared asks, and she hears a note of panic in his voice.

 

“I don’t know, but like I said, watch yourself, and play it safe. Ain’t no tellin’ what those two done come up with. Maybe he’s just jealous of all the time you been spending with me cause you two ain’t been knockin’ heads like you always do.”

 

Jared is about to say something else, when he hears a horn blaring. He spares a glance at his clock. Jen is three minutes early. Jen is NEVER early. He swallows, tells Mel he’ll see her later, hangs up, and heads out the door, a smile pulling at his mouth, even if he has to force it. He gets in Jensen’s Range Rover, and hopes that Jensen doesn’t pick up on how nervous and tense he suddenly is. 

 

\----------

 

Jensen has a broad smile on his face as Jared’s loud laugh surrounds him and Chris returns from the bar with a pitcher of beer and another round of shots. Jared’s already eagerly reaching for one of the shots. Chris gives him a wink as he takes a seat and hands out the shots while Jensen pours the beer. Jared’s leaning back in his chair, and after a moment his laughing curbs off and Jensen realizes that Mel’s back on stage.

 

His ear perks up, because while his plan to get Jared drunk is working, he has to admit that Mel’s voice is incredible and the girl’s got presence. Jared nudges him from the side and he damn near falls out of his chair. A sign that Jared’s really getting drunk if he forgets his strength.

 

“Dude! This is new! I’ve never heard this one before! Ain’t she great?” Jared says, his voice booming to be heard in the loud atmosphere around them.

 

Jensen just nods and smiles as Jared takes a long pull from his beer, and listens as the place goes quiet and the song fills the air. It’s kind of sad and almost wistful, her voice husky and crooning.

 

“How blind can you be, baby,

If you don’t notice his eye on you?

Is it because you want him too?

I have to say that I’m done, we’re through.

Cause I can’t, can’t keep on pretending,

When he’s always on your mind,

So stop feeding me all the same ol’ lines…”

 

Jensen jumps when a foot collides with his and he fixes a look on Jared, but Jared just tilts his head back, the mug held firm and his throat working the beer down to his gut. 

 

“I’m singing it soft and slow tonight,

The story of my heart breaking,

Cause this mistake we keep making,

It’s time I made it right.”

 

Jensen spares a glance in Chris’ direction and he’s surprised that Chris’ attention is fixed on the stage, on Mel. He laughs a little as he realizes just why Chris was so eager to help him with this. It all makes sense now. 

 

“His smiles are always just for you,

And I see the light that’s in your eyes.

He makes you happy, baby, for anyone to see.

Kinda makes me jealous, cause it’s him baby.

It’s him and not me.

I wonder when you realized

What everyone else knew,

I’m sorry baby, but we’re through.

 

“I’m singing it soft and slow tonight,

The story of my heart breaking,

Cause this mistake we keep making,

It’s time I made it right…”

 

Jensen reaches for his mug as Mel’s eyes fall on him, and he suddenly feels exposed as he gulps down his beer, nudges Jared and gives a nod in the direction of the door, and Mel’s voice chases after them, as Jensen makes his escape with Jared in tow.

 

“When you go to him,

I hope you spare a thought,

Spare a thought for me,

Cause I still love you baby,

It’s why I let you go,

And I’m singing it soft and slow.

My heart is breaking, can you hear it?

Cause I’m singing it soft and slow,

Soft and slow tonight…tonight…”

 

Jensen feels something flutter in his stomach, Mel’s voice and that song playing on his nerves as he leads Jared out to his Range Rover. He goes to the passenger side first, to unlock the door for Jared, and before he can even get the key in the lock, Jared’s got him pressed against the SUV, and there’s nothing sloppy with the way Jared’s kissing him, and Jensen’s helpless to resist, even with that damn song playing at the back of his mind.

 

\----------

 

Four songs after she watches Jared leaving the bar with Jensen, she takes her last break, and she can’t keep the grin off her face as she follows Steve to the bar and grabs a longneck. It doesn’t take Chris long to make his way toward them, sidling up to her. She rolls her eyes at Steve as Chris leans in to her ear and whispers huskily. 

 

“Didn’t take long for you to lose your boyfriend, now did it? At’s what ya get for bein’ such a fuckin’ bitch all the damn time.”

 

Mel cocks her head, turns to look at him, and smirks. “What makes you think I lost a boyfriend? I ain’t had a boyfriend since I left Galveston, darlin’. Don’t mean I ain’t been laid since then. But gettin' laid don’t mean things are serious. Now fuck off, I got a set to finish and then I’m callin’ it a night, Shorty.”

 

Chris mutters something along the lines of “fuckin’ bitch” as she lets out a little laugh and heads back up stage. Steve lingers for a moment, and the sound of a sharp smack makes her smile as Steve makes his way on stage and takes up his guitar. She’s pretty sure Steve’s defended her honor. Not that it’s necessary, but it’s still nice of him.

 

\----------

 

Jensen isn’t quite sure what’s gotten into Jay, although he suspects it’s the tequila with the beer chasers, and maybe those shots of Jack from earlier. He doesn’t really care though, as he’s thrown against his front door, and while the doorknob is sticking him in the small of his back, it’s what’s going on up front that has his attention, because Jared is not letting up. 

 

Jared’s mouth is against his as Jensen shifts away from the doorknob, struggling to fit the key in the lock as he forgets how to breathe. There is nothing sloppy or drunk in the way Jared’s mouth is working against Jensen’s, just a whole lot of aggression. Jensen almost feels like he’s being claimed, but that thought is too girlie to hang on to, so he gives up higher brain functions once he gets his damn door open, and gives in to six foot four of very aggressive Texan manhandling him through his own home. 

 

By the time they’ve made their way to Jensen’s bedroom, both men disheveled and panting, Jensen’s come to the conclusion that his house is a damn obstacle course, and his back will have several interesting bruises in the morning, and then Jared’s teeth have found where his neck meets shoulder. He makes a strange sound and forgets about bruises and getting rid of unnecessary furniture. 

 

He lets out a grunt as Jared’s gigantic hands push against his chest and he lands roughly on his bed and actually bounces. He cocks an eyebrow up at Jared, and smirks as he watches Jared unbutton his pink button down shirt. Pink of all things? Such a Jared thing, and while he hates to admit it, Jensen likes it. 

 

Jensen swallows as Jared saunters toward him, his shirt dropping to the floor, and Jensen has never seen this look on Jared’s face before. Jared smirks down at Jensen as he shifts to straddle Jensen and dips forward until their lips meet. He pulls back, his eyes dark, and he looks like the cat licking his chops because he’s got the canary good and cornered. 

 

This is it, the moment of truth, where Jensen proves that he does have at least one shred of decency, because he shouldn’t be doing this. Not with Jay, who’s drunk, and Jesus! God, Is that Jared’s teeth in his collarbone? How can he be the bigger man? The noble friend, when Jared’s wiggling in his lap and his dick is ready to make its final stand?

 

Still, this is his best friend, and it shouldn’t matter what he wants. Only, his dick is definitely telling him otherwise. He takes in a deep breath, does his best to ignore his libido as he plants his hands against Jared’s chest and pushes the giant back so he can look him in the eye. Jared actually has the nerve to pout, and in his current state, Jensen is kind of surprised at that.

 

He clears his throat, and Jared sighs. Jensen shakes his head and finally speaks, “Jay, come on man. You’re wasted. Let’s just get you to bed, and we’ll forget all about this. Hell, you won’t even remember it come morning.”

 

Jared actually laughs at him. “You’ve already got me to bed, man. Now the question is, what the hell are you gonna do about it, and whatever it is, I’m pretty damn sure I’ll remember it. Least I hope you make it memorable.”

 

Jensen’s eyes widen at this, and he’s not sure where to go from there, but then Jared’s massive hands are under his shirt, hiking it up, and Jared dips down, his tongue trailing the ridge running down his chest and to his navel. Jared’s tongue flickers into Jensen’s bellybutton, and his brain shirt circuits as Jared nips his way further down, flicks open the button on Jensen’s jeans, and the noise of his zipper roars in his ears. 

 

A jolt of electricity lights up his spine as Jared’s hand slips into his open jeans and past the boundaries of his boxers. He remembers vaguely something about a plan involving drunken coercion, possibly fucking his best friend, and a guilt trip he could later blame on Chris. Because everything is usually Christian fucking Kane’s fault. Maybe he’ll thank Chris this time.

 

He jumps a little, his abdomen trembling as Jared soothes the bite mark with his tongue, and then Jared’s fist at the base of his cock begins to travel up along the shaft and he damn near forgets his own name as a moan trembles out from his throat. His breathing is ragged. He’s jumpy enough to fly out of his own skin, and it’s Jared doing all of this to him, and that’s a nagging moment of possible guilt.

 

There’s a cold burst of air slipping across the swollen head of his cock, followed by a warm breath and playful tongue. As Jared’s mouth closes around his dick, Jensen forgets everything else in the world. His fingers coil tightly in Jared’s floppy hair and his head falls back as Jared uses his mouth to the best of his ability to draw out the strangest and most amazing noises from Jensen’s throat.

 

Jensen trembles as he fights to look back down and open his eyes, and keep them open against the molten pleasure coursing through his veins. He’s wanted this for so long and he doesn’t want to miss a second, watching as Jared’s mouth rises and falls against his dick. There is the stray thought flitting across what’s left of his brain, that this is only the beginning of a very long and enlightening night, but this is just a fleeting thought that Jensen can’t quite hold onto as his hips jolt forward. His green eyes lock with Jared’s impish hazel gaze as he’s lost completely to sensation and ecstasy, Jared’s eyes sparkling dangerously with promised mischief to come.

 

\----------

 

She takes a pull from the beer as the guys break up the set and load up the van. It’s been a good night, and she’s happy for Jared, she really is, but helping him get laid, by a damn stubborn Texan leaves her without a place to stay for the night. She shakes her head, plants the empty bottle on the bar, and goes onstage to collect her guitar and put it in the case. She huffs out a laugh and smiles as Steve’s comes up behind her and pats her on the shoulder.

 

“Great set tonight, Mel. You’ve done us all proud. And Christ, I sound like Chris. I’ve been hanging with way too many Texans when I start sounding like you!” Steve says with a grin.

 

She chuckles at that. “I know what ya mean, man. Us Texans are our own damn culture. Got our own language and ever’thing. Now what say you to puttin’ me up for the night? Looks like I lost my ride and my bed tonight when ol’ Jenny finally got his head outta his ass.”

 

“At least someone’s gettin' laid in this sorry ass outfit,” Chris cuts in crankily, and Steve rolls his eyes as Mel reaches out, smacks Chris on the ass and swipes his cowboy hat and puts it on her own head. 

 

“If you weren’t such an asshole, and there wasn’t nothin’ wrong with your dick, Shorty, you’d be gettin' some action too. Now I’m tired and ready as hell for bed, or the couch. Don’t matter none as long as I get a good pillow and a nice place to lay out for awhile.”

 

“There’s always a place for you on my couch, Mel, now let’s get a move on. Got a day at the studio planned tomorrow afternoon, and it’s damn late,” Steve says.

 

Chris looks indignant and then growls, “Steve! I thought you said no more damn strays! And there ain’t a damn thing wrong with my dick!”

 

He continues to rant and grumble under his breath as he follows Steve and Mel out, all the while trying to snatch his hat back from Mel.

 

\----------

 

Consciousness is just a hazy beginning to the day, it always has been to one Jensen Ross Ackles. He begins to stretch languidly, the lethargy slowly seeping out of his muscles and bones, and that’s when he notices the weight pressing him down into the bed. He’s careful as he shifts, turns, and lifts himself enough to see who’s practically lying on top of him curled up and drooling on his bicep. His eyes widen as he looks into the slack, but familiar face of his co-star, and practical best friend. 

 

He lets his breath out slowly, squeezing his eyes shut as he wonders just what he’s done. There’s no going back from this, and the smile that wants to slip across his face is bittersweet, because while he wouldn’t take back last night for anything in the world, it’s still wrong how it happened. The guilt weighs him down more than Jared half on top of him. 

 

He can’t keep his body from stiffening in anticipation of what’s to come. This is low, something one would expect from Chris. He knows he deserves whatever he’s got coming, and he doesn’t think he can stand Jared rejecting him now. Not after last night. Not after he’s gotten a taste of what it could be like if he’d only grow a set of balls already.

 

There’s a groan from beside him, and his eyes snap open as Jared’s just begin to flutter, and then he’s staring into hazel confusion. He takes in a breath, ready to explain. Ready to try and salvage as much as he can in their current state.

 

“Jay, man, shit. I’m sorry. I knew you were wasted, and… God. I can’t believe… This is something Chris would do! It’s not me. You have to know that, right man?” Jensen says in a panicked rush. 

 

Jared snorts and pulls back, fully awake now. His eyes flash with something dangerous that Jensen’s never seen thrown in his direction before. At least not by Jared. For once Jared is quiet, and it’s unsettling Jensen more than that look he’d seen in Jared’s eyes only moments before. Finally Jared takes in a breath and Jensen knows this is it. The moment of truth, where he gets told off once and for all and loses something incredibly special.

 

Jared runs a tongue across his lips and finally opens his mouth. “Is there anything that you regret about last night? I mean between you and me? And think hard on this Jen, because you don’t get a second chance to answer this question.”

 

Jensen closes his eyes, his throat constricting as his thoughts run rampant in his mind, and he’s trembling, waiting for the defining moment where he lays it all out on the line and it’s all over. Now or never. 

 

“Jay,” Jensen gets out past his restricting throat, he swallows and then continues, “I’ll admit it’s a really shitty thing to do, getting your best friend drunk and then taking advantage of him. But God, man, I’ve wanted to for so long. Not get you drunk, I mean… Damn it! I’ve just wanted you, Jared. Okay? I want to feel bad about how I went about finally getting you, but after last night, I just can’t. I’ve wanted that for so long, and it’s better than what I thought it could be, and there’s nothing I regret about what we did. I just regret how I went about finally getting you, man.”

 

Jared rolls his eyes and lets out a laugh. “You really thought I was that wasted last night?”

 

Jensen’s eyes widen in surprise and then narrow as he reaches out and smacks Jared in the shoulder. “Get the hell off me asshole. You weigh a ton.”

 

Jared chuckles and shifts, and drags Jensen after him until Jensen is sprawled on top of him, and glaring down at him, because Jared’s arms are wrapped around him, keeping him in place. 

 

“Jen, you’re not the only one that’s been wantin’. I swear I don’t get you sometimes. I mean I figured you were worried about your career, so I just never thought you’d make a move, and then you started gettin' all pissy and jealous whenever Mel and me started hangin’ out. Then Mel got a heads up from Steve that you and Chris were plannin’ something, so Mel told me to go with the flow, just watch how much I drank. The floor took more shots than I did, and last night? Yeah man, that was all me, and just some of the things I’ve wanted to do to you the last couple of years.”

 

“What about Mel?” Jensen asks, because he has to be sure of where they stand.

 

Jared laughs. “She’s just a really good friend man. You’d like her if you just gave her half a chance. And she can totally kick Chris’ ass!”

 

Jensen has to laugh at that. “Yeah, I guess I do owe her. But right now, if you let me go I’ve got you right where I want you, and I can do to you some of the things I’ve been thinking about for the last couple of years and then we can maybe go from there,” Jensen replies with a wiggle of his eyebrows and leans forward into a slow, languid kiss that Jared happily returns, although his nose is scrunched up, because morning kisses without the benefit of toothpaste? Well, if Jensen keeps wiggling on top of him like that, maybe he can forgive it this once…

 

\----------

 

Chris takes a sip of his first cup of coffee of the day, it’s bitter and burns the roof of his mouth, but he’s no pussy. He can take the first burn of coffee like a seasoned pro. He still adds a little extra sweetener to it though. He looks up with a smirk at the sound of a groan from the doorway and watches as Mel snatches one of the mugs from the drying rack next to the sink and pours a cup of coffee for herself. She adds two spoonfuls worth of sugar to the brew, and then leans back against the bar, blowing the steam off the top of the mug before she begins to nurse the coffee down.

 

Chris looks up at her with a smirk. She rolls her eyes, and this is it, this is his opening.

 

“So your boy left with my boy last night. How much you wanna bet Jen got him all stretched out in his bed and fucked him raw. Guarantee the next time you see your boy, Jay, he’s gonna be walkin’ funny.”

 

Mel’s eyes narrow on him and she sets her coffee down as she approaches the kitchen table and takes a seat across from him, her eyes meeting his. “What makes you think I give a shit who Jared fucks? It ain’t like that between me and him, and you’re a dick for talkin’ Jen into that little let’s get Jared drunk so you can fuck him scheme. Don’t think I didn’t know all about it, you asshole! I swear if you dicks would just grow a set of balls and come out and say what you want every once and awhile you wouldn’t have to go all the way ‘round your ass to get to your damn elbow!”

 

“What the fuck you talkin’ bout?” Chris snaps, because this wasn’t exactly what he expected from her. 

 

She shoves away from the kitchen table, a little bit of Chris’ coffee sloshing out of his mug and landing on the table with a splash as she stalks toward him, her left hand curling into the front of his shirt like a claw. She leans down, and with a growl she strikes, and while it isn’t with her fist, Chris is still taken off guard as she slides like liquid into his lap, her lips working over his mouth in a kiss that is all business, down and dirty, just the way he likes it.

 

Mel pulls back with a smirk as she looks down at him. He’s in a daze. She gets to her feet and saunters toward the doorway, coffee forgotten. She gives him a wink and says, “How about you get your ass in gear, Shorty, and lead the way, cause I don’t think Steve’ll take too kindly to you fucking me over the kitchen table.”

 

Chris swallows and staggers to his feet, still a little dazed from the kiss, but he recovers quickly as he catches up to her, wraps an arm around her waist, and they make their way toward his bedroom, slamming each other against walls, groping and stealing kisses along the way. Steve sticks his head out of his bedroom door, catches a glimpse of the action and retreats back into the safety of his own room.

 

He winces at the sound of a giggle and Chris’ bedroom door slamming shut with a rattle that sends a couple of pictures on his wall to shaking. He shakes his head to clear it of the mental images, opens his door, checks to make sure the hall is actually empty and then he races toward the kitchen, to the sanity bringing salvation that is coffee. He pours himself a cup of coffee and then grabs the phone, dialing a familiar number. 

 

It takes a few rings before someone answers, and things never change. Jensen is still NOT a morning person, but there’s laughter and whispering in the background, and Steve recognizes the loud braying of one Jared Padalecki. He let’s Jensen get back to whatever it was he was doing, and as he sets the phone down and takes another sip of his coffee, he wonders how he slept through the world turning over on it’s axis, because damn if things don’t all of a sudden seem ass backwards. But it’s all good, as long as they don’t kill each other right away. 

 

Steve still finds himself asking the Good Lord why. And he thinks that maybe the Good Lord just has a really weird sense of humor sometimes.

 

End.


End file.
